The Eternal Game
by Varkanax40
Summary: Volume Two of the Xaterex Multiverse Storyline. Can Toa Fairon survive the Eternal Game, a Battle Royale- esque contest which will pit him against some of the most powerful beings who ever defied the rule of the Ix Empire?
1. Prologue

**Contestants of the Eternal Game**

1. Iruka

2. Kouhiimaru

3. Ghost

4. Kawa

5. Naraku

6. Alloy

7. Tetrack

8. Velnax

9. Fairon

10. Crystillix

11. Fyxan

12. Fyxon

13. Lavawight

14. Nightwatcher

15. Millennium

16. Dredzek

17. Revdav

18. Lekhop

19. Benjarmin

20. Zaeron

21. Leviathos

22. Tabaris

23. Orthodax

24. Serrakaan

25. Spirak

26. Spiruk

27. Girahk

28. Brominax

29. Antidax

30. Harlen

31. Valtrahk

33. Zaeron

34. Zaxar

35. Maserix

* * *

Okay. While I didn't plan to post this story on here - ever- I was finally convinced to post a revised version of my first ever BIONICLE fanfic, _The Eternal Game, _on here. The original story was written back in 2008, drawing inspiration from _Battle Royale _and later (after I got up the courage to read it) _The Hunger Games. _The original version was a mess, with over eighty contestants and poor writing. This is the 35-contestant canon version, revised and updated, and hopefully this will be fairly well received.

General Disclaimer: I don't own BIONICLE or any of its original characters or species, locations, etc. All of the OCs are either my own creation, or I was given permission to use them in my storyline.

Chronologically, it's set at the same time as my completed fanfic, _Into the Darkness, _but _The Eternal Game _was written before then.

Anyway, to anyone who read the original version, please read and review. To any new readers, I hope you enjoy the revised Eternal Game.

* * *

**The Eternal Game**

* * *

**Prologue**

All was silent along the streets of Gigas Nui. The moon shone down, illuminating the beings walking silently, apprehensively through the darkened streets. The air itself seemed to vibrate with tension.

Silently, two Ix materialized from the gloom. Both were tall and thin, and carried long, curved daggers that glinted in the moonlight, twin points of razor-edged steel. Both of them were hooded and cloaked, adding to their aura of mystique and power. All of the beings, both Glatorian and Agori alike, stepped aside silently, afraid to even be seen in the presence of the ruling class.

Between the two Ix a Toa walked. His eyes were lowered, downcast, but had any been able to see into them, they would see his eyes were filled with fear.

He was only one of the many contestants chosen to compete in the Eternal Game.

The Eternal Game, the greatest punishment for any rebel or dissident. The games, a massive, thirty or so contestant battle to the death, were the Ix's latest punishment for rebels and surviving Toa. It was the greatest fear of every being in Gigas Nui.

Only one being could survive this Eternal Game. And, facing beings which he knew were far more powerful than he, Toa Fairon knew that despite his skills, he would likely not be the one being to return alive.


	2. Chapter 1

Okay...this is way below par to my usual writing. To be fair, this was written nearly three years ago, when I was far less experienced. Still, I don't think I'll revise this much, except to correct spelling and grammar. I only hope this isn't poor enough that it causes you all to hunt me down. XD.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Come, Toa." the Ix Eliminator, an elite soldier, said quietly to Fairon. "You will join the Eternal Game."

"Where are we going?" Fairon asked, shocked that he'd been chosen.

"Follow me," the Ix replied curtly. Fairon followed them into a large transport aircraft the likes of which he'd never seen in Gigas Nui, the city he'd grown up in, before. Apprehension raced through him, making rational thought almost impossible.

"We are here." The Eliminator snarled, and entered the Coliseum. Fairon gasped.

Within the building, there was a large raised podium surrounded by a crowd of Kodax and Toa standing beneath it. Atop the stage stood a tall, gaunt Ix lord. Standing to one side of him there was a tall, jet armored Kodax.

There was no time to ask the Ix guards about anything the Games entailed. The Ix on the stage spoke in an ancient, twisted voice.

"Greetings, warriors of the Ix Empire, and welcome, contestants, to the Eternal Games!"

Maniacal cheering filled the air. Fairon, still in a state of shock he'd been chosen, could not process what they were saying. His only thought was one of shock and fear.

_No. How could I have been captured so easily? I-_

The Ix on the stage began to speak a lot of gibberish in the Ix's nasal, scratchy language, which was greeted by more maniacal cheering. Then Fairon heard a phrase that he recognized.

"... we crushed the Hand of Mata Nui... and threw all those that rebelled into an ever changing arena to fight forever."

The audience's cries reached fever pitch as the crowd roared and screeched.

"Now we will send in more, to replace those that have died."

_No...no...,_ thought Fairon desperately. _Not me. Not now..._

"And they will fight, as their forebears fought before them."

The Ix lord began to read off the names of the other contestants: "Spirak, Girahk, Nightwatcher..."

A tall Toa of Shadow stood as the Ix spoke the name "Nightwatcher."

Fairon shuddered. The being was vicious. He could _never_ fight that.

"...Iruka, Ghost, Kawa, Alloy..."

These four joined two of their other competitors, whom Fairon heard referred to as The Fallen Six. All looked as deadly as Nightwatcher.

"...Leviathos, Millennium, Spiruk…"

Five more warriors joined the already impressive crowd.

"...Brominax, Dredzek, Maserix, Harlen…"

The list went on.

"..Fairon, Fyxan, Fyxon, Crystillix!" finished the Ix.

Fairon and the Toa known as Crystillix stood numbly when their names were called.

"Contestants, follow me." ordered a tall Ix soldier after a few more minutes of cheering. Hopelessness washed over Fairon. He was completely trapped.

And if the Ix didn't kill them, the other competitors would.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Fyxan stood in a tall, domed chamber along with the other competitors. Many of them were from his planet, Noctxia Magna, and both foe and friend were standing shoulder to shoulder, hardly waiting to kill each other.

He'd landed in the Eternal Game purely through his own fault. He'd double-crossed the Ix Empire, and now he was about to pay the ultimate price.

The treacherous Kodax's eyes switched to Iruka, who looked breathless at the chance to fight in the Games. He, Kawa, Ghost, Kouhiimaru, Naraku, and Alloy formed a group known as The Fallen Six and were allies with two Glatorian called Ravdev and Lekhop. Both appeared to be skilled warriors, but were no match for beings such as the powerfully built being known as Zaeron or the Toa of Shadow, Nightwatcher.

Other alliances included partners Millennium and Dredzek, survivors from the Shadow of Ages, an organization destroyed by the Arcaeans. Both appeared determined, Fyxan knew either would double-cross the other if it meant to stay alive. Next to them, the hulking being known as Tetrack stood, his followers Velnax and Valtrahk following him.

"Ready to be deployed to the Arena," ordered the Ix supervisor.

_Well, here goes my life._ Fyxan thought grimly as he was led away by the Ix.

"Just remember," The Ix went on. "In the arenas, you kill. Or you die."

The Ix observed thirty-five beings, stripped of weapons, ready to leave for a realm of death and devastation.

And only one would ever return.

* * *

Fairon heard a dull thud as the aircraft that carried all of the contestants landed, ready to deploy them into a realm of death. Beside him, the enigmatic Toa known as Crystillix- whom he'd made peace with temporarily- shivered apprehensively. Both of them had agreed not to attack each other. They both knew they could not win against such odds, the competition was too great. So why should they waste time attacking each other.

"We're here," said Crystillix grimly as the pod opened. Fairon stepped out — and gasped.

He was standing on a colossal game board. A deathly black sky that held but a few feeble stars cast a half-light on the ground. Fairon glanced around at Ravdev and Harlen, the two Glatorian standing nearest to him. They looked equally amazed. Nightwatcher, Ghost, Iruka, and the Kodax alliance leader, Tetrack, did not look the slightest bit fazed. With a roar, Nightwatcher ripped apart his glass prison and charged towards the game board. Fairon watched Ghost's prison open, then Ravdev's, then his and Crystillix's.

"Go! Run!" screamed Crystillix. Fairon charged into the battle. He saw three caches of weapons, arrayed near a central podium. Farther away, tunnels began to open. A vicious competitor known as the Lavawight charged toward the central podium, where the fighting was thickest. Ravdev turned and followed him. Fairon took a breath, and then plunged into the battle.

Blood and armor splashed all over his body, and all around him, it was impossible to tell who was alive and who was dead. Harlen charged at him, tearing his arm. Fairon winced in pain, then slashed out. Harlen was a good fighter, but luckily, neither of them had a weapon. Harlen lashed out with a fist, sending Fairon sprawling into the dust. The wild-eyed Glatorian leered at him — then his fist fell to his side, and his shattered body fell to the ground. Fairon spotted Kental, armed with a Shattering Gun, spring away from Harlen's corpse.

Ravdev, her face set in a mask of grim determination, charged forward, then gasped. Fairon half-turned; horrified to see the female Glatorian had fallen into a pool of lava where a square of the board had once been. Fairon saw the Lavawight grab a long spear and ran her through. As her eyes glazed over with death-mist, he ripped out the weapon, and Ravdev collapsed, lifeless, on the ground, her blood mingling with the lava that had insured her death. Two dead before they'd even reached a weapons cache.

With a yell, Fairon leapt onto the cache and grabbed a sword. The design was unfamiliar to him, it wasn't his usual scimitar, but it would do. A Glatorian, Zaxar, lumbered toward him, swinging a mace. As Fairon was flung from the cache by the impact of the blow, the Zaxar's lower half shattered, blown to bits by Iruka. Nightwatcher lopped off his head neatly.

Fairon saw Spiruk run toward the podium, grabbed a weapon, and dashed into the night. Lewa sprung after him, but Ghost, armed with a scythe, ripped him down like a reaper. Spiruk lay unconscious; not dead, but Fairon wouldn't bet on him surviving the day.

A warrior called Sen charged past Fairon, who raised his blade, but Kawa was quicker. She grabbed the warrior and slashed him open. Sen collapsed backwards, desperately trying to flee, but Lekhop grabbed a Staff of Light and fired a bolt from the tip, killing him.

Fairon spotted a Spiruk, impossibly back on his feet, charging toward the next weapons cache at Fairon, his face contorted into a sneer. Fairon grabbed a second blade and slashed at random in the direction of Spiruk. He thought he saw the white Glatorian go down, and fled at random into the night.

_How many have died?_ Fairon wondered, as the battles at the caches continued. _Who knows what tomorrow will bring?_

The dark arena held no answer for him.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Quiet as a ghost, Nightwatcher slipped away from the rest of his group, watching the night as the Kodax announcer repeated the death toll for the first day. So Iruka, Ghost, and the rest of the Fallen Six had survived. A pity. And there was that Toa of Light too, Lekhop or whatever his name was. He was with them.

Harlen was dead, and, other than the Fallen Six, his most dangerous opponents were the loners Brominax and Zaeron, along with Tetrack, Antidax, Velnax, and Valtrahk, his erstwhile allies. All of the Kodax and their Glatorian ally, Phoenix, were at the cache of weapons. Antidax was out scouting, and Nightwatcher was supposedly doing the same.

Suddenly, a voice boomed out over the arena. It was the Kodax announcer, announcing the kills that day. In a cold, impassive voice, he read off the names of the dead. "Harlen, Ravdev, Spiruk, Sen, Kental, Isran."

That was all. Six dead, thirty-four left alive. Most beings had either fled the battles or sustained wounds before they were killed.

_I'm done here. I have everything I need from those Kodax,_ the Toa of Shadow thought as he slipped away from his group. Tetrack and Velnax were resting, while Valtrahk stood guard. For a split second, Nightwatcher thought about murdering them all. But no, Tetrack would be roused quickly, and even though he was confident he could overcome all of them, Tetrack could deal nasty wounds. And when Antidax returned from scouting, his wrath would be the death of Nightwatcher.

_No...besides, they may still be useful,_ Nightwatcher decided, and vanished into the darkening gloom. Soon the arena would be roused, and the fighting would begin. Nightwatcher raised one blade, and then slashed a square on the board completely in two. Satisfied, the Toa of Shadow walked into the forest, were the game board ended. He would wait for someone to kill here.

* * *

Spiruk had never meant much to him. He was a fool who charged into battle without hesitation, without ever even considering whether or not the strategy would immediately get him killed. Still, Spiruk had been his brother, and now things had become personal.

Spirak didn't care about the Eternal Game. He didn't care about winning. All he cared about was staying alive long enough to escape the terrible place. That, and vengeance on Fairon for his brother's death.

He'd sat in the undergrowth and watched, silent as a phantom, as the Toa of Light moved quietly under the light of the massive red sun. He listened carefully, not making a move, even as his target vanished from his sight. He could still hear him, and that was enough to make a rather good estimate of his position.

Spirak felt a small insect bite at his neck, but knowing all too well that the slightest motion would alert Shardak of his presence, allowed the burning pain to spread through his body. It was a particularly painful bite, and he dimly wondered what kind of insect that was.

Then he felt a growing weight on his shoulder, and knew that it was no insect.

Forgetting all about his target, he turned around and rubbed the steadily growing creature — something that appeared to be a miniature green Rahkshi — from his shoulder. As he watched, stunned, it grew to his height, then higher, then higher. It towered above him like the sun itself, its hands large enough to crush him like a twig, its eyes gleaming at him like massive emeralds.

"Why, hello," said the voice of the being that he recognized as Nightwatcher.

He turned around, but in all directions there was nothing to be seen, save the trees, the sun, the sky, and the massive Rahkshi. He turned around again, and found himself looking at the Toa of Shadow's leg.

"This here is my pet," the new arrival said as Spirak began to stutter in terror. "It is what is called a Rahkshi of Growth. Convenient little things to have around. They also are particularly good at scaring beings out of their wits." he leaned down, so the faces of the Toa and Glatorian touched.

"Then again, so am I."

"W-w-what do you w-w-want?" said Spirak, his teeth chattering.

"What do I want?" said Nightwatcher. "I want to get out of this miserable game, much as I enjoy it. And, if I understood correctly, the winner of this game can leave. So far as I know, the only way to win the game is to make sure no one else is left to attempt to do so. And so, to answer your question, I can quite definitely say that what I want is for you and the rest of my 'rivals' to die."

Spirak was so terrified now that he was incapable of making any more noise, nor of moving as Nightwatcher picked him up.

"I have been holding myself back for the last few days. I thought it would be enjoyable, picking them off one by one like maggots. But there is no time left for enjoyment. Tomorrow, every last one of my foes will be ground into dust."

Nightwatcher began to squeeze, his fingers wrapping around the Toa's chest.

"And if you wanted to know why I decided to kill you before everyone else," growled the being who had once been Toa Charon, "that's just too bad."

A sickening explosion. Blood shot out in all directions from the body of his helpless victim as Nighwatcher's powerful hand crushed his helpless victim's torso.

"There's something going on here," Nightwatcher growled, staring at the horrible-looking corpse as he dropped it back on the ground. "Something beyond what any of us can fathom, except possibly me. And once all of you weak scum are grounded into dust, I'm leaving this place."

He looked up at the sky. The sun had gone now, and now the only visible lights were those of the eyes of Nightwatcher and his pet.

"Come, Girahk," he said to the Rahkshi. "It's time to go kill some more dangerous enemies."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Fairon, blissfully unaware of how close to death he'd come at the hands of Spirak, and then Nightwatcher and Girahk, strode silently through the woodlands. He'd seen the Kodax known as Fyxan and Fyxon, along with the massive Noctian, Leviathos, going this way. Fyxan and Fyxon were legendary rebels who had fought the Ix Empire for years, but Leviathos, like Fairon, had never really served any resistance effort. Both of them had been rounded up and captured nevertheless, to please the Ix in the latest incarnation of the Eternal Game. He hoped they'd be sympathetic to his plight and perhaps help him escape the Eternal Game.

Fairon knew that, as a Toa, he'd been lucky to avoid their attention for so long. Indeed, he was lucky to still be alive and well in the Eternal Game. But as a Toa, he knew it was unlikely he'd win, not when the Ix had gone to such great lengths to eliminate the Toa. Only around six Toa had ever escaped the Eternal Game, and they were useless, living lives of pampered luxury in Drakos, the capital of the Ix Empire.

Suddenly a twig snapped, jerking Fairon from his thoughts. The Glatorian Zaeron emerged from the shadows, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"This ends now, Toa Fairon. Perhaps you fancied yourself important enough to survive the Eternal Game, just because you are a Toa? No. This is over."

And before Fairon could say a single word; try to reason with the Glatorian, Zaeron attacked.

One spear lurched at him, which Fairon narrowly blocked. Zaeron slashed his sword down Fairon's leg, drawing blood. The other spear stabbed out at him, narrowly missing. Panting, Fairon tried an attack, but Zaeron easily blocked it. Fairon had fought intense battles against deadly opponents, but this Zaeron was one of the toughest he'd ever fought. Once again, the blade lashed out, ripping a gash in his shoulder.

_He's playing with me,_ Fairon thought. _He'll finish me off when it suits him._ He slashed out again, but faster than the eye could see, Zaeron blocked. Fairon parried the next strike, but Zaeron had already stabbed him again. With a kick, Zaeron sent Fairon sprawling to the ground.

Zaeron lunged, and the battle dissolved into a brutal, senseless attack. Fairon staggered away, Zaeron spearing. Fairon ducked a blow, and Zaeron kicked him to the ground.

"You are dead," snarled Zaeron as he raised the sword for the final strike. Fairon though about attacking now, but he knew that the spears Zaeron carried would block him.

As Zaeron brought down the blade, Fairon exploded upward. Zaeron was ready, and tore the sword from his hands. Pain exploded through his body as Zaeron slashed the sword down, cutting through his armor. With a last effort, Fairon ripped the spear from Zaeron' hands and stabbed outward, and Zaeron staggered backward.

Then his body turned to vaporous air and simply vanished. Gone like a wind. And Fairon was left standing alone in the dark once more, the wounds the only evidence Zaeron had ever been there at all.

* * *

Crystillix stood atop a hill near the volcano as darkness fell, and the Kodax announcer gave the death toll. "Spirak," Only one had fallen today. After only one day in the arena, he was beginning to tire of the constant worry that more of his enemies would find him. Iruka and the Fallen Six were operating near the volcano, he knew, and wondered if they were toying with him.

A dark shape strode into the night, cutting off his thoughts. A tall, well-armored being. Iruka? No. through the stars half-light, Crystillix made out cold white, mechanical eyes. The tall being spoke an inaudible word, and a door in the mountainside swung open. The creature disappeared into the shadows.

_What is it? What is he hiding there?_ Crystillix wondered.

_Prisoners, supplies, or..._ Intrigued, Toa Crystillix drew his weapon, the Scythe of Creation, and raced off in pursuit.

* * *

Iruka cursed inwardly.

So Nightwatcher and his alliance had won the initial battles, and his alliance had claimed the weapon caches. Annoyed at this turn of events, Iruka vowed to kill the Toa of Shadow.

Beside him, moving through the shadows like a wraith, the green-silver being, his powerful and deadly deputy Kouhiimaru followed close behind his leader, alert for any movement. Ghost floated silently beside him, while the yellow Glatorian Lekhop and the other Fallen Six followed him. Iruka cursed again, wishing that Ravdev had survived.

The calculating female Glatorian had created the alliance between them, and had been far more intelligent than Lekhop. While he felt no pity for her death, Iruka vowed to kill the Lavawight. She would have made a useful ally, and could possibly have joined the Fallen Six as well. Lekhop, on the other hand, was a sniveling coward, useless in a fight. But at least he would make a valuable throwaway pawn if it came to an open war between Velnax, Antidax, and the others.

All of the Fallen Six were heavily armed. Kouhiimaru carried a long, curved scimitar in one hand that would have taken a lesser being two hands to grasp. A longbow was slung over his shoulder, along with a quiver of poisoned arrows. Kawa carried an axe in one hand, and Ghost had his scythe. Naraku and Alloy both carried swords and wore heavy armor. Lekhop, on the other hand, had fled almost at once from the battle and made out with only twin daggers.

_Weakling, _Iruka thought, seeing his wounds. Of their alliance, only he had been wounded. But his fear of the wraithlike Kouhiimaru and the powerful Iruka kept him moving in spite of his injuries.

Kouhiimaru drew up alongside Iruka. Of the Fallen Six, Kouhiimaru and Ghost were the only beings who approached his strength; the others were mostly expendable pawns. Iruka eyed the rest of the Six, then nodded to Kouhiimaru, who touched his bow in acknowledgement. The exchange went unnoticed by the rest of the beings.

Kouhiimaru had very explicit orders about what he should do with any of them if they became a problem. Accidents could always happen in the arena.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Fyxan, followed closely by Leviathos and Fyxon, strode silently through the woodlands, weapons at the ready. They were following the trail of a competitor they'd picked up, the Kodax known as Antidax. While following him into his own territory would be foolhardy and probably suicidal, they could see from his trail he was heading away from the caches of weapons where Nightwatcher and the rest of his alliance stood guard.

"This way," whispered Fyxan under his breath. His two allies, both Noctian and Kodax, followed. Leviathos looked grim, determined, while Fyxon seemed almost nervous. Fyxan wanted to ask his brother what was wrong, but finding Antidax took priority at the moment.

"I think-"Fyxan began, but before he could finish his sentence a tall, thin Kodax stepped from the shadows. Antidax was followed by two identical Kodax Fyxan didn't recognize at first, but then he realized to his shock that they were both the Kodax Valtrahk.

"How-" Fyxan began, but one of the Valtrahks laughed. "The Kanohi Mohtrek," he laughed. "The mask of time duplication." A third Valtrahk suddenly appeared in front of Fyxan. "I think that this is over. Are they in position?"

"Yes," said Fyxon. Leviathos and Fyxan turned to regard the Kodax in shock. "_You _betrayed us to the Kodax?" Leviathos asked, voice filled with anger.

"Sorry, brother," said Fyxon coldly. "But there can only be one victor. And I want to be on the winning side."

No sooner had the words left his mouth when Brominax flew from the clearing and slammed into Antidax like an airborne lightning bolt.

* * *

The small Lavawight leapt from the edge of the cliff face, where the earth met the volcano. He longed to be free of this accursed world and become part of the lava again. For a few days, it had been spewing ash and volcanic rock, and tomorrow, the lavawight knew, it would explode.

But the Lavawight knew this was not an ordinary Volcano. It had been made by someone. It was no more than an artificial construct, created by the Ix.

Now he'd leapt directly into the volcano, into the lava so hot it could melt a being's bones. With a crash the Lavawight struck the lava, spewing red-hot flames across his tortured body. It reminded him of the days when he'd been one with the volcano, his veins corsing through the earth's core...

...The being shook his head, clearing his mind from his once-life. He would complete a deadly act that would destroy all competition in the game. Then he would seek out the being who made him and kill him. And then he'd die. The end.

But not before he took the Fallen Six and the Brotherhood of Gigas Magna with him to the grave.

The Lavawight saw a crack in the volcano's side. He flung his bulk against the door and it swung open.

He found himself in a small, stone chamber. It was totally deserted. The lava golem turned, and saw a huge screen, showing the volcano's slopes, and a computer below it. The being sat in a chair, keying multipule codes in Lava-Speak, codes he knew would open the computer's lock. The being's eyes lit up as he found he was able to control the coming eruption.

Suddenly a voice rang through the volcano. It was the end of the second day in the arena.

"Spirak."

That was all. Only one death.

Tomarrow there would be many more.

* * *

Night had fallen over the arena. In the darkness of the caves, only one being was moving. A female Matoran adventurer, holding a pack of supplies in one hand and curved sickle in the other, strode through the caverns below the arena.

Her name was Speewaa, and she was fighting for her life within these depths.

Her friend, Jorbyy, had been killed in the huge bloodbath over the weapons. She had escaped, alone.

Later, she'd watched as the powerful Robotic Elemental, a being who she'd not seen participating in the contest, had entered these caverns, and she'd followed. By the time she'd realized it was a death trap, It was too late. The caves were filled with Torshurrr, and worse-the terrible robotic nightmares known as Baterra. Now, on her third day in the caves, she was starving

_I'm going to die here,_ she thought. _And never see light again._ Then resolve built in her. _But I'll take as many Baterra as I can with me before I go down. _Aiming her missle launcher, she carefully crept along the passageway, igniting a torch from her pack. Spaunauh instinctively moved away from the light, crawling into the pack. Speewaa smiled. Her Scarabax was all that remained of her original life.

As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, Speewaa scanned the corridor, picking out a blueish form in the distance.

_Torshurrr!_ The word exploded in her mind. The deadly beings owned this area of the cave.

Closer...closer the Torshurrr came, still creeping forward, then-

Struck!

With lightning speed, the Torshurrr lept at her, but Speewaa was faster, firing three rounds. The first missed, the second blew apart the thing's legs, and the third smashed through the creature's skull, killing it instantly. All light gone from its eyes, the Torshurrr slumped to the ground.

"Nice shot." A new voice made Speewaa jump. But when she looked up, she saw it was a Toa. He was young and strong, but his eyes seemed to come from the distant past, and seemed to be fighting barely repressed memories within his skull.

"Who...are you?" the matoran asked in awe.

"I am Toa Crystillix, protector of Arcaea."

"I am Speewaa, Matoran of Infinity. Adventurer. Warrior."

"Do you know a way out?" Crystillix asked her.

"I wish," she said. "I've been searching for an exit, but there are none. What brought you here?"

"I followed the tall, armored being into this place, but when I did, the exit closed behind me."

"Same here."

"Then we should form an alliance. Mabye two warriors can accomplish what one cannot."

Speewaa drew her sickle.

"Let's go."

Crystillix drew a long Scythe that gleamed with power, and the two turned and walked deeper into the caves.

* * *

"A report, master," Dredzek, the powerfully built Makuta deputy of the Shadow of Ages, said silently. "Treknerrok is here. He has a small army assembled underneath these cliffs. An army that could eliminate all other contestants from the game forever."

Dredzek leaned in, and a wave of dread washed over the two other beings with him. Fear was visible on the faces of both Millennium and Benjarmin, his two allies.

"The Baterra are here."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Fairon raced through the shadows in terror, pursued by Brominax. Dawn was soon going to break over the arena, and at any moment, he knew, the powerful golden Kodax would catch and kill him. He could see the rage in Brominax's eyes already, just from here.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, and Brominax shoved him aside. Fairon saw a flash of dark armor rise up to meet Brominax.

_Antidax. _

All at once, two other beings appeared from the shadows, fighting three Kodax. A fourth Kodax, armed with a spear, stood behind them, cringing in fear as the powerful Noctian descended upon them. Fairon lifted his sword to defect a Kodax's spear and raced toward the shadows. Antidax and Brominax had disappeared into the shadows, locked in combat, and the three green Kodax were swiftly overwhelming the Noctian and the other Kodax.

"Run!" yelled Leviathos. Fairon could see Phoenix was racing toward them from across the clearing. Lifting a spear, she flung it at Fairon, who fired a burst of elemental light from his fingertips and shattered the spear into shards. Then he turned and raced after Leviathos and Fyxan without a second thought, away from the Kodax.

"I didn't know…there were so many Kodax in the arena," Fairon gasped to Leviathos when they were a safe distance away.

"Valtrahk has a Kanohi Mohtrek," said Leviathos grimly. "He can create however many he needs."

"I can't believe Fyxon betrayed us," said Fyxan, his voice shaky.

"I can," said Leviathos. "I hope Brominax kills him _and _Antidax before the Kodax take him down. That one has a coward's streak wider than a mile."

"So where shall we go now?" asked Fairon. "Where can we run?"

"There is only one place we can go to escape the Kodax, which could swiftly become an army now that Valtrahk has a Mohtrak," said Fyxan. "The mountain"

Fyxan gestured to the mountain that would soon become a volcano.

* * *

Isran raced through the forest in a mad terror, hasty to escape the sinister, gliding shadow that was drawing ever closer. But there was no escape from the Blood Summoner, as the unfortunate Glatorian was about to find out.

He'd almost survived the night in the arena. If he could just escape the Makuta that pursued him like a primal nightmare, he would have lived for three days. But Isran knew that he could not outrun this being. For the Blood Summoner was fear itself, death itself!

Isran could feel the shadows in his wake. Chill cold ran through his veins, replacing the usual warmth there as the Blood Summoner drew closer. His aura of raw terror washed over Isran. The hapless Glatorian tried to scream, but his lungs filled with blood, choking off the sound with a strangled gasp.

Isran closed his eyes, trying desperately to hide the face of the Blood Summoner from him before death took him. But he could do nothing to escape those cold red eyes of death that followed him.

Then the cold talons of the Blood Summoner wrapped around his heart, and Isran convulsed. Blood poured from his mouth and eyes and chest where the Makuta had torn a wound, but Isran continued to try to scream until at last he could no longer breathe, and drowned beneath a pool of his own blood.

Makuta Serrkaan dropped the lifeless lump that had once been Isran and glided away silently to find his next victim.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Tetrack hissed in obvious annoyance. Brominax had escaped, and he'd wounded Velnax in the process. Now the Kodax was limping, and had slowed their progress to the volcano. His failure to eliminate Leviathos, Brominax, and Fyxan was causing him to be looked upon badly in the eyes of Antidax, and instead of helping his ally track down Brominax as they should be doing; he was chasing shadows on this volcano merely to keep them out of Antidax's way.

Velnax, Valtrahk, and Tetrack were all venting their rage on the unfortunate Fyxon. With nothing to show for his betrayal, all that Fyxon had accomplished was making himself look like a fool in front of his allies.

Night had fallen once more. It had been a mostly uneventful day Tetrack heard the booming voice of the Kodax announcer, saying there had been no deaths today. So Antidax had not caught up with Brominax.

"We'll make our way around the volcano's rim," said Tetrack as they climbed to the highest craggy mountains of the volcanic mountain. Already Tetrack could see the smallest slivers of lava seeping through the mountain. "If we do not find anyone, then we will retreat immediately."

Fyxon nodded, then said. "Okay. So Valtrahk and Velnax-"

"No," said Tetrack, a wolfish grin on his face. "You will go first."

* * *

Iruka could see the massive, hulking form of Tetrack making its way along the rim of the volcano. The massive Kyojin crouched silently beneath a massive, craggy outcropping, watching as the four Kodax slowly wound closer to him.

Tetrack was massively built, hulking and strong. Velnax was slightly smaller but no less deadly, as was Valtrahk. The fourth Kodax was big and brutish. Fyxon, Iruka remembered his name was.

Ordinarily, Iruka would have had his seven minions charge directly at the four Kodax, knowing that all of his allies were skilled and deadly in combat. But he knew that at the first sign of danger Valtrahk would activate his Mohtrek and the battle would be lost before it began.

Iruka gestured to Kouhiimaru. His second in command was crouched beside him, while Ghost stood behind, relaying orders to the remainder of his force. Iruka made a motion as though he was drawing a bowstring, then pointed at Valtrahk. Kouhiimaru nodded. He could hit an insect on a wing from fifty feet away. This was a simple task.

Kouhiimaru drew back the bowstring and was about to fire when all at once Tetrack's battle sense caused him to become aware of the danger. All at once he noticed Naraku and Alloy creeping up behind him.

"Enemies!" he shouted. Valtrahk immediately activated his Kanohi and leapt aside just as Kouhiimaru fired; the arrow missed the duplicate Valtrahk by inches and instead buried in Velnax's shoulder.

The element of surprise blown, Iruka leapt from his cover, followed at once by Ghost and Kawa. Velnax screeched a primordial Kodax battle cry, flinging himself at Naraku. Before the being was able to react, he'd hauled him down the side of the volcano. The two beings wrestled below, neither gaining the upper hand.

Tetrack raced forward, and Alloy, spotting the danger, charged at him. However, before either of the beings could strike out at him, Ghost raised his scythe and buried it in Tetrack's shoulder just as Iruka hit Tetrack dead two massive beings tumbled toward the edge.

Tetrack grinned and tore large gouges across Iruka's chestplate, sending them to the very edge of the cliff face. Iruka managed to jump away at the last minute, but Tetrack could not react quickly enough and the hulking Kodax lord plummeted over the edge. His twin chainsaw weapons broke his fall. As Tetrack hauled himself from the rim of the volcano, Iruka managed to leap aside in time, just out of reach of Tetrack's flailing chainsaws.

* * *

...Within the artificial volcano, the Lavawight saw it all. The ghost of a smile flickered across his face. "Lava lines," his hissed. "Engage..."

* * *

Alloy dodged a blow from a Valtrahk duplicate. The being went down, wounded badly, and then Alloy whirled on another duplicate, which leapt to one side, eyes widening. Alloy looked upward, wondering what had provoked such fear from the being, and ten thousand tons of molten lava hit him dead on, scalding him to death before he could even scream. His body, melted and drenched in molten lava, plummeted earthward.

Iruka reacted at once. As the deluge rushed toward him, he grabbed Lekhop, who cried out in surprise. As the lava bore down on him, he flung the Toa in the path of the oncoming lava. It didn't halt the flow, but gave Iruka time to dodge away from the molten rock. He watched impassively as Lekhop was killed instantly by the lava spill as Iruka spiraled down the volcano's side, desperately attempting to right himself.

Tetrack reared above him like a demon from Karzahni, dragging the leader of the Fallen Six over the edge of the cliff with him as the molten lava hit both beings. Tetrack was torn away from Iruka with a cry of rage disappeared beneath the volcano.

Iruka, wounded badly and barely clinging to the edge of the cliff, saw a hand snake out from beneath the rubble, and knew that Tetrack was still alive. The hand wrapped around Iruka's ankle, and suddenly Iruka plummeted earthward.

He fell four hundred feet of empty space toward the ground before another massive outpouring of molten lava hid him from view.

* * *

Above on the ledge, Kouhiimaru watched Iruka fall. The leader of the Six had dropped nearly five hundred feet beneath an avalanche of molten lava.

Nothing could have survived.

It was then that Kouhiimaru knew the battle was lost for the Fallen Six. With their leader dead, they stood no chance of recovering the initiative. Knocking another arrow to his bowstring, he fired, and a possible-future version of Valtrahk crumpled to the ground, dead.

But it did nothing to halt the tide of Kodax. Kawa and Naraku were pinned down by Kodax. It was only a matter of time before they were killed. Signaling Ghost, who had retreated back toward him at Iruka's fall, Kouhiimaru hissed to him as more Kodax charged at them. "Iruka's dead. We have to retreat at once."

"What of the others?" Ghost asked, gesturing to Kawa and Naraku.

"Leave them," said Kouhiimaru. "I saw Alloy go down, and those two are just about finished. They're all useless anyway, just more competition. The two of us together will take out the rest of the competitors."

"And what then?" asked Ghost. "There can only be one victor."

"We'll fight to the death after all of the others are slain," said Kouhiimaru.

"Then who will we kill?" asked Ghost. "The Kodax? They're too heavily armed."

"There will be a reckoning for this," Kouhiimaru promised. "But not now. There's too many of them. Deal?"

The Kodax had almost reached their hiding place. Kouhiimaru saw Velnax and several Valtrahk duplicates were searching for them in the darkness. In the distance they could still hear the clash of weapons.

"Deal," said Ghost quietly.

"And this seals it," said Kouhiimaru, knocking an arrow to his bow. He fired, and Velnax fell, an arrow buried in his throat.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The Glatorian Zaeron awoke in pitch-darkness.

_What the..._ he thought, confused. He was supposed to be dead.

_I wonder if this is the afterlife._ He thought. _Kind of dull._

He rose to his feet, and waited while his eyes adjusted to the gloom. He was standing in some sort of cavern complex. Bats, spiderlike Rahi, and other small creatures flew above him. _So I'm alive._ He thought. _But how?_ His last memory was of him spinning, consumed by flames, away from the wreckage of Vakax's starcraft.

Then he looked down at himself and gasped

He was covered in bloodred armor from head to toe. His hands were clawed, but otherwise he seemed to be the same. His eyes, however, glowed a deep sapphire color. He noticed a large flaming sword lying stabbed into the rocks beside him. Using both clawed hands, he pulled it out. It glowed a dark crimson color. When he hefted the sword, it felt like it was made for him. He felt a thrill of elation. _With this, I can finish off everything in these games._

Looking down the corridor, he saw two figures, a dark-armored Toa and a small Matoran walking down the corridor.

Zaeron knew he could finish them off, but he wouldn't yet. The two beings were obviously after something, and he would find out.

The once-Glatorian felt his armor become its usual dark shade of ebony, his claws retract into his armor. He could blend in better in this form.

Zaeron was hunting.

* * *

The Lavawight turned, away from the bloodbath on the screen, to see the two dark beings enter the room.

"So..." said Kouhiimaru. This is the being responsible for the death of our leader."

The Lavawight tried to flee, but Ghost blocked his way. There was a single flash of his scythe, and the Lavawight was gone. Not even a speck of dust remained to mark his passing.

Suddenly, there was a colossal explosion as the volcano erupted, consuming the Kodax on the slopes of the volcano. Kouhiimaru glanced at the screens, and saw Tetrack, his armor ragged and crushed, staggering away from the volcano as it blew to pieces. Valtrahk followed him, along with three duplicates.

Then the chamber was consumed, and Ghost and Kouhiimaru raced down the slopes of the volcano, finally reaching the base. The two allies watched as the artificial volcano exploded, fire raining down over the arena, setting fire to the forest.

Fire that would spread.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Nightwatcher's shining green eyes reflected the yellow light of the fire that tore through the forest around him. A volcanic eruption was a simple thing to defend against, at least if you had powers like him, and fire was terribly easy to walk through. Of course, the same could not be said for everyone: he watched, his face twisted into a half-smile, as numerous beings around him screamed, entering their death throes.

They, he reflected, were the lucky ones. After the night was over, all the others would wish that they had died earlier. Antidax had disappeared, and Nightwatcher didn't care where he was. All that mattered was that he was out of the way.

Now, only Brominax and Maserix remained. He was certain that he could take them on himself, and he would most certainly do so after he... tied up the loose ends.

He finally reached his destination, and continued his leisurely pace, approaching his goal. A once-great being stood before him, even taller than he was. It was the Kodax named Tetrack, but he no longer deserved to be called a leader. He limped, his leg having been damaged heavily, his shoulders hunched. His body was heavily scarred by the flames, and his face was completely unrecognizable. Only one of his eyes remained, there were several teeth missing, and he looked to Nightwatcher like he was _scared_.

"Nightwatcher?" Tetrack croaked. "Please... heal me."

"I would love to," said the ex-bounty hunter, his smile widening. "That is, if it were my home universe and you had enough widgets to pay me for it. Here, however, you're nothing but an empty shell."

"Please..." gasped Tetrack looking down at him. "Together... we can escape this accursed game... Then you can have as many widgets as you want..."

Nightwatcher returned his gaze, his smile widening even more, until it covered his entire face in a terrifying expression. "Oh, please. You know as well as I do that you planned to betray me once we had defeated all our foes. Sadly, you never considered the possibility that I was planning the same thing. Foolish you."

With surprising speed given his injuries, Tetrack attempted to use his enormous size to bring Nightwatcher down with one thrust of his flaming sword, but Nightwatcher dodged it easily.

"You have no chance against me," grinned the Toa. "No one here does. And they will all die. Starting with you."

With that, Nightwatcher flicked his sword lightly, spearing the massive being in the heart. Tetrack screamed, but Nightwatcher telekinetically blasted his dying form into a tree, knocking the fallen being into the ground, where his body began to burn. Still alive, Tetrack screamed loudly, each scream conveying a powerful hatred towards Nightwatcher, but no one came to aid him, and Nightwatcher remained there until the screams ended.

_Good,_ Nightwatcher thought. _Only two of my foes remain. The rest can be easily dealt with. It is time for this "game" to end._

* * *

Zaeron moved stealthily through the caves, pursuing his quarry. He knew enough about them now to understand that they had no chance against him. But if he wished to win the game, then that meant that _all_ his foes had to be exterminated. Including Treknerrok, the Element Lord, and his Baterra. So perhaps, just perhaps, he could make a temporary alliance with Speewaa and Blast to bring their foes down.

Yes, that would make a very fine plan.

The cave opened up into the air, and Zaeron watched Blast ready his weapons. The Element Lord had departed already to battle, and the Baterra were following him in even lines. He felt his sword again, and gently stroked it with his remaining hand.

Then a dark hand grabbed him tightly around the neck. He managed to hang on to his sword, but moments later, before he could attack his unseen opponent with it, in was knocked out of his hand. He thrashed around like a Vandrox in a Muaka's jaws, but a long, pointed, three-pronged blade which Zaeron recognized as Dredzek's claw came to his throat.

"Make one noise and you're dead," hissed the Makuta.

"Kill him now," said the voice, which Zaeron realized belonged to the entity Millennium. "He's of no use to us."

"No," said Benjarmin, coming around to look the Toa of Shadow in the face. "He is of use to us. He can help us kill the Baterra."

_So I'm not the only one who had the idea of using other people to take the Baterra out for you,_ thought Zaeron bitterly.

"He's weak!" argued Dredzek, who had apparently sided with Millennium. "Let me kill him!"

"No," Benjarmin answered. "For the moment, at least, we need allies."

"Really? And who would 'we' be?"

Zaeron fell to the ground, gasping, as Dredzek ended his chokehold and spun around to face the new speaker, Blast. "What do you want?" said Dredzek, who appeared ready to pounce onto his Toa prey. His claws gleamed wickedly in the moonlight, and he gestured menacingly at the black Toa that had appeared before them.

"The same thing you do, apparently," said Speewaa.

"An alliance, you say?" said Millennium, amused. "Look at them, Benjarmin. What could we possibly want with two Toa and a Matoran? I say kill them now and get this over with."

"They're expendable, yes," said Benjarmin, "but not at all useless."

_Who are you calling expendable?_ thought Zaeron, and he suddenly had a powerful urge to shove his sword into Benjarmin's throat.

"Very well, then," said Millennium. "We go to fight the Baterra. Bear in mind that if any of you die, I'm not going to miss you much."

The six of them tramped out of the cave and onto the side of the small mountain. Millennium and the two Makuta simply levitated themselves to the bottom; Blast, Zaeron, and Speewaa watched enviously as they climbed down arduously.

_I am going to kill them all,_ Zaeron decided. _And then I shall look upon their rotting corpses and proclaim myself the master of this universe._

He thought about that for a moment, wondering at how he could have changed so much in this short time in the Eternal Game.

And then he smiled.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Fairon, Fyxan, and Leviathos looked on in silence as the fire spread through the trees. They were at the edge of the forest, and it appeared that they were the only ones in the area.

As they watched in silence, the glistening moon rose higher into the darkened sky. Fairon, Fyxan, and Leviathos looked towards one another, and slowly began to walk away from the scene of death and devastation, their heads bowed.

"This Eternal Game has changed us," Levaithos muttered. Fyxan looked at him, and Leviathos nodded knowingly. "We're murderers now, brutal killers. We've become the very things the Enforcers of Gigas Magna hoped to destroy. And for what?"

Fyxan did not answer. He looked up into the sky again, but saw that the moon was hidden by a cloud of smoke emanating from the wreckage of the ship. "How many others are left?"

"If Ixtil were here, he'd be able to calculate it in one instant," Fairon joked, then, remembering that their friend had fallen in battle, bowed his head. Leviathos came over to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"We've all lost companions before," said the Great Being gravely.

Fairon finished counting on his fingers. "Including us, I'd say about twenty. Give or take a few."

"Twenty to go, then," said Fairon, raising his weapon slinging it over his shoulder. He nearly dropped it when Fyxan grabbed his other shoulder tightly with his fingers.

"Did you see that?"

"Did I see what?"

Leviathos was already in a battle stance. "The moon. It's gone!"

"_What?_"

"Something's happened," said Fyxan, preparing for battle himself. Leviathos cast a great beam of light in that direction, and what they saw was nothing less than unimaginable.

"Holy Mata _Nui..._" gasped Fairon, who had abandoned all pretense of discipline and dropped his weapon on the ground his mount and eyes wide open, staring at the terrible apparition.

Around the gameboard, twenty other beings looked up into the heavens and gasped at the horrible sight. The thing that had been blocking the sun had been a massive pyramid, which had sprung up among the cover of darkness. Clearly, the Toa, Makuta, and Kodax were not the only beings who had decided to make alliances.

In his own section of the playing field, Leviathos blinked in Leviathos's light and looked upward. "Holy Mata Nui. It's a..."

"Massive..." said Speewaa...

"Pyramid..." gasped Millennium...

Even the Treknerrok was astounded. "Of _Scarabax._"

He turned to his minions. "We dare waste no more time. We shall conquer this entire arena. And then, we shall be free forever of this accursed Eternal Game!"

Millennium and Benjarmin readied their weapons, looking down from the cliffs upon the massive army. The Baterra stood motionless, awaiting their orders, though had they been sentient, they would have cheered.

Nightwatcher looked down at the burning grass and saw Girahk, in his miniature, Scarabax-size form, approach him through the flames. The Toa of Shadow gently bent down to pick it up in his hands.

_There is no turning back now,_ he smiled. _The final battle is coming to a head far too quickly._

_Now, time to deal with Brominax and the others..._

* * *

Serrakaan twirled his weapons elegantly, slicing off the heads of a pair of Kodax. More Kodax surrounded him, but with a single wave of his hand, blasted them all with lightning. One managed to break free of the tendrils of blue flame and charged at the Makuta. Serrakaan chuckled, and while still blasting the remaining Kodax into burning corpses, he outmaneuvered the one that was charging at him and stabbed him through the heart.

He stopped blasting his foes with lightning, and strode calmly over the field of corpses. He looked up momentarily at the massive pyramid of Scarabax, which some of the more foolish contestants were attacking vainly, but decided not to worry about it. It held no danger for him at the moment. He would instead tackle some more worthy opponents.

He turned around, his sharp eyes looking into the distance. Far away, in the opposite direction as the army of Scarabax, lay a small mountain. He looked closer, and he could see a strange silver figure marching in his direction, accompanied by a large army of strange robotic beings. Interesting. Perhaps he should investigate.

By "investigate," of course, he meant, "destroy everything in his path."

_Yes,_ he decided. _That sounds like fun,_ he thought, unaware that two other parties already had their own plans for stopping the Element Lord...

* * *

Meanwhile, Crystillix was inside of the world of his dreams.

Not his good ones.

He and Zaeron were fighting back-to-back, trying to keep from being crushed under the weight of four dozen Baterra. Speewaa was next to them, battling valiantly against her mechanical foes despite her small size. Still, a plasma blast from a Baterra threatened to overwhelm her. Blast watched as she ducked another blow from a huge Baterra, then stabbed at a second warrior.

Dredzek and Millenium tore apart a Baterra, and then crushed another. However, Zaeron was tiring, and Speewaa would not hold out for much longer. Blast watched as Zaeron shapeshifted, becoming a huge being with a huge claw in one hand.

As a Baterra sprung, Zaeron decapitated it with his claw, then morphed back into his natural shape and took out another with a blast of both light and shadow. Blast winced as Speewaa was struck by a plasma burst fired from a hulking gray Baterra. She thudded against the wall of the cavern and fell limp to the ground.

Several Baterra immediately closed in around her. However, within moments, Millennium, Dredzek, and the others had eliminated every one of the Baterra.

"Is that all?" asked Millennium, as though disappointed.

"No. There's still Treknerrok," said Crystillix.

"In any event, the Baterra are dead. This alliance is at an end." Said Millennium, and before Crystillix could respond, he charged at Speewaa, Axe of Eternity raised.

Dredzek lashed out with a Shadow Hand, and hauled Speewaa to the ground. With a roar, Crystillix sprang at Dredzek, hauling the Makuta to the ground. Dredzek lashed out with his claws, tearing open a gash in Crystillix's shoulder. Crystillix winced and lashed out again, flinging Dredzek against the wall and grabbing Speewaa. the Matoran was wounded, but ran beside him, matching him every stride. A gray blur flashed by Speewaa and Crystillix screeched in pain.

"More Baterra!" Crystillix screeched, as hundreds of mechanical shadow soldiers came charging out of the caves around them. Blast was a scything wirlwind of power, cutting down his enemies faster than the eye could follow. But for every Baterra he felled, he was hit again and again by the soldier's swords.

Then Millenium and Dredzek emerged from the tunnels, followed by an incorporeal entity Speewaa believed was Zaeron, and Speewaa realized they were fighting a losing battle.

"Run, Speewaa!" Crystillix screamed as Dredzek struck him with a blow from his claws. "Find Fairon! He'll help you!" Then there was an explosion of carnage as the battle began.

Speewaa ran from the battle, persued by a small group of Baterra, with only one thought in her mind: _Find Fairon._

And below in the caverns, the final battle below the arena began.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Crystillix cleaved through a Baterra, and watched as Zaeron's incorporeal claws tore through another. Zaeron cared nothing for Crystillix, but still fought beside him against the Baterra armies. Crystillix watched as Speewaa fled, eight Baterra following her, and saw Millennium strike him down with his huge axe.

The Mechanical Baterra cut down Benjarmin, then swarmed over the large Makuta, who attempted to bat them away with his claws. Crystillix turned and struck a blow at Millennium, but his Scythe simply glanced off the dark lord's armor. Millennium turned on him, his axe blade swinging at Crystillix's side. Crystillix blocked the blow, and then whirled around as he felt a stinging pain in his back. Millennium's blade had struck him there. Blood welled from his wounds as he fought to remain standing.

"The Axe of Eternity. Millennium snarled. "Can implant illusions in a victim's mind. You don't see where it hits before it's far too late."

Crystillix cursed, and whipped the scythe around. Dredzek leapt at him, claws extended, and brought him to the ground. Zaeron struck with blinding speed, flinging Dredzek against the walls of the cavern with a Crystillix of light. Crystillix cursed again when he saw there was nothing between him and Millennium. The Shadow of Ages leader had raised his axe blade high above his head, ready to crush Crystillix beneath the Axe of Eternity.

Then the cold, toneless voice of the Element Lord of Technology cut through the battle.

"Baterra! Attack!"

Hundreds of warriors broke away from Zaeron and Benjarmin, and watched as the entire cavern opened up into tunnels, leading to the world above. Crystillix gasped. If the Baterra struck now, they would annihilate the combatants above. None would survive.

"Zaeron!" Crystillix called "We have to stop them!" Zaeron turned to look at Crystillix, and a look of calm evil crossed his face.

"Oh, I will stop them. After they have destroyed everyone else in the arena."

A look of shocked horror came over Crystillix's face. "So it was _you_ who hid the Baterra in the caverns. You approached the Element Lord, and told him to lure us down here."

"Yes, some of the most powerful contestants. All of them must die if I am to rule the arena."

"But Tetrack, Night watcher, Tabaris... they're still out there. One of them will destroy you."

"No, they will not. I command them all."

"So you serve Antidax." Crystillix spat. "You're conspiring with him, Tetrack, and the Kodax to bring ruin on everyone in the arena!"

"Finally, he sees the truth!" Zaeron cackled and insane laugh of one drunk on power. Nightwatcher, Tabaris, Maserix... All will cower before my Baterra army. All will perish before my might. But now, you will die, full of knowledge that nobody else will ever, ever know..."

Zaeron watched as the Baterra turned and raced into the realms above. "This is the end, Toa." Then he smiled again as the Baterra closed in on Crystillix.

Crystillix dodged the claw of a Baterra, and then kicked out at Zaeron. The Toa easily dodged, and slashed his blade down at Crystillix. Though Zaeron felt pity for Crystillix, he knew the only way for him to survive the Eternal Game was to kill the Toa, and use the Baterra to invade the surface world. Crystillix swung his scythe at Zaeron, but the incorporeal Toa dodged easily, the blade passing through his side.

"Give up, Toa." Zaeron snarled. "I can shift into virtually anything. There is nothing that can kill me."  
Another Baterra jumped at Crystillix, who dodged, and watched as the Baterra whipped around and slashed another wound through Crystillix's chest.

"Oh, and the Element Lord and some of his elite Baterra are pursuing your little Matoran friend. She's trapped, cornered, begging for mercy...but the Baterra have none."

Crystillix snarled and ducked a blow from Millennium's axe. All was chaos as a full-scale battle broke out. Though Millennium was evil and treacherous, he was fighting on the side of Crystillix against Zaeron's Baterra legions. All was a blur as armor and corpses collapsed on the ground, shrapnel flying through the air. Dredzek was fighting eight Baterra at a time, cleaving through them with evil accuracy. Millennium lopped of the heads of Baterra and crushed them beneath his foot, and Crystillix fought Zaeron, the two toa fighting each other across the battlefield. Crystillix tore a sword from Zaeron's hands, and then blocked a second blade as it came flashing out of the darkness. Crystillix slashed out with his scythe of creation, and then fired three rounds from his Zamor sphere launcher.

Zaeron was flung backwards, and Crystillix grabbed Zaeron's blade and stabbed the Toa through his leg. Zaeron hissed defiance, and flung a dagger through Crystillix's hand. The Toa cried out in pain and flung the Scythe at Zaeron, who slashed out a half-solid claw at the weapon, and the Scythe clattered against the wall. Crystillix raised Zaeron's sword, then threw himself into a complicated series of attacks and feints. Zaeron reacted quickly, and blocked all of the strikes with lightning fast precision. Crystillix felt a twinge of admiration. Zaeron knew all the tricks in the book.

Zaeron's half-air, half-solid form leapt at him and flung him to the ground. Crystillix dodged away from Zaeron, and into an oncoming Baterra warrior, who he gored through the chest. However, he'd left his back unguarded, and Zaeron slashed out with his ghostly sword, cutting through the Toa's armor. Crystillix felt a terrible, numbing pain as the sword tore through muscle then bone. And then he felt something else-rage. Zaeron hissed as he saw Crystillix recover from the blow, and watched the Toa, blood pouring from his wounds, stagger towards Zaeron.

Zaeron snarled. He would shift into his deadliest form and cut the Toa to shreds. He braced himself for the charge. Crystillix did the same, and the two toa flung themselves at each other, blades extended.

And both Toa knew that this charge would end the battle, for one way or another.

* * *

Speewaa ran from the Element Lord and the Baterra, Benjarmin following her, blades drawn. Both groups were trying to kill her. _This is the end._ She thought numbly. _The last battle for me._ As she raced through the tunnels, she finally lost the Baterra warriors. _For now, I will die._ She drew the sickle, which glowed with power. Crystillix had imbued it with Creation powers, using his scythe. And she owed it to Crystillix, who had quite possibly given his life so she could live, to use the power one final time.

She would break the Sickle, releasing the massive destructive energy contained within. It would kill her too, and possibly kill everyone else in the caves, but she had to do this. Had to make sure that neither Millennium nor the Element Lord made it to the surface. She watched as the Baterra appeared at the cavern's entrance, followed by Millennium and Benjarmin, who were fighting the Baterra.

Dredzek was nowhere to be seen. If she could not stop them, the Baterra would destroy all the contestants and the Element Lord of Technology would win the games. Benjarmin spun around, a maelstrom of devastation, each swipe of his claws ending the life of a Baterra. But still the Baterra came, like a wave of unstoppable power the Baterra charged over the beings in the cavern below. Speewaa raised the sickle above her head and raised it to break open the power...

* * *

Crystillix, wounded horribly, staggered toward Zaeron as Zaeron began to change. Crystillix felt as if everything was moving slower, as if this was not happening. He could barely hear the screams of Dredzek as the Makuta desperately fought the Baterra hordes. Zaeron built up a huge Crystillix off annihilation power, redid to strike. He would fire as he had never fired before. He would crush he would-

Crystillix _struck_! Slammed into Zaeron, flinging his blade over his head. Zaeron saw an opening, and stabbed outward with his blade. Zaeron struck again, and Crystillix's sword clattered from his hands. Zaeron raised a claw and slashed Crystillix backwards, flinging him to the ground.

Crystillix flung out his hand and threw his Scythe of Creation at Zaeron, stabbing the dark toa through his chest. Zaeron hissed defiance, and as Crystillix struck again, released the annihilation bolt. Tendrils of dark power flung across the caverns, striking off Crystillix's scythe of creation and rebounding, striking Zaeron. And then Zaeron began to fade, and then he turned to dust, and then he was gone, his incorporeal form drifting through the wall.

And when Crystillix opened his eyes again, Zaeron was gone.

Speewaa raised the sickle, ready to end the lives of every being within the caverns, when Millennium flung a mangled Baterra off him and struck the weapon from her grasp. As she was flung against the wall, Millennium brought down his axe. Speewaa dodged, and the blade struck her leg. Lancing pain shot up her side. Millennium raised his axe again, and Speewaa knew this time he would not miss.

Suddenly, a Baterra broke through the throng of robots that were fighting Benjamin and flung itself at Millennium, forcing him to change direction of his blow to decapitate the Baterra. At the sight of more armed warriors, the Baterra charged at Millennium, hauling the titan to the ground. Speewaa tried desperately to flee to safety, dragging her injured leg behind her. She was almost to the cave's edge when Benjarmin appeared before her, stabbing his spear through her chest. As she gasped for a breath that wouldn't come, Crystillix, his armor in tatters and his eyes gleaming in rage, appeared at the cave's entrance, firing a bolt of pure destructive energy from the Scythe of Creation that turned Benjarmin to dust.

Benjarmin died before he could even realize his victory, consumed utterly by a Crystillix from the Scythe. One moment he was there, the next there was nothing but dust to mark his passing. He had been utterly obliterated by the Crystillix.

Crystillix was raging. The sight of Speewaa dying beneath Benjarmin's spear had enraged the Toa, causing him to use the Scythe in a way he had never used it before-to destroy. Noticing the sickle lying on the cave floor, he realized what Speewaa had tried to do. _I'll finish what she started._ Crystillix vowed. _Then she will be able to die in peace._

Millennium saw the Toa appear in the cavern as well. Crystillix grabbed the sickle and flung himself at Millennium even as the Baterra charged at both dark lord and Toa. Millennium's axe was flung from his grasp, allowing Crystillix to strike first, bringing down the blade on Millennium's arm. Millennium screeched in pain, then swung his axe at Crystillix.

Crystillix narrowly blocked the blow, and as Crystillix counterattacked, Millennium cut a Baterra apart with his axe while he blocked the Scythe with his claws. Crystillix feinted with his Scythe, and then stabbed out at Millennium with the sickle, forcing Millennium backwards. Millennium charged forward, crushing Crystillix's armor apart and stabbing Crystillix in the leg with the hilt of his axe. Crystillix turned and blocked another swipe from Millennium's claw, then gasped as the axe cut him across the chest.

Millennium grinned and flung a bolt of energy at Crystillix. Crystillix counterattacked with another Bolt from the Scythe, and the bolts ricocheted off the walls, consuming three Baterra. Another Baterra flung himself at Crystillix, who blocked the Baterra's attack narrowly with the scythe, then blocked Millennium's axe with his sickle.

A bolt of energy flashed across the battlefield as Millennium attempted to attack Crystillix, flinging him backwards against the walls. As he tried to recover, Millennium charged forward and hammered Crystillix with his axe, flinging him into a Baterra. The mechanical warrior was consumed by another Crystillix of energy, and Crystillix blocked Millennium's axe with his Sickle. A stabbing pain shot up Crystillix's leg as he realized that Millennium's axe had been an illusion, and was now imbedded in his side.

But Crystillix was done running.

He was already terribly wounded, and would not let Millennium win the games. If Millennium or the Element Lord of Technology triumphed, then it would all be for nothing. Everything would die, above and below.

As Millennium bore down on him, Crystillix raised the Scythe above his head. Millennium dodged his blade, and redied his axe for the final blow.

"This is the end, I think." Millennium said whilst bombarding Crystillix's mind with his powerful telepathic powers. Crystillix resisted Millennium's power, and ducked as another burst of energy exploded above him. As Millennium swung the axe around, firing a bolt of power at Crystillix, Crystillix flung the sickle at Millennium's chest. As the sickle fell and Millennium released the energy burst, Crystillix flung out his hand-and shattered the Sickle into glowing shards across Millennium's chest.

Slowly, the leader of the Shadow of Ages sagged and fell to the ground as the explosions began, obliterating Millennium, obliterating the Element Lord, obliterating the Baterra, consuming them all in fiery half-light.

Crystillix ran to Speewaa's side. Her breath came in small gasps.

"Did you...kill him?" she asked, the effort to speak causing more blood to flow from her wound.

Crystillix nodded. "The Baterra will never walk the surface world."

Speewaa relaxed, watching as Spaunauh crawled onto Crystillix's hand. "Go..." she gasped. "Win the Eternal Games." Her body gave a small shudder, and then went still.

Crystillix bowed his head. Rage seething through his body. And, by the dying Matoran's side, Crystillix made a final promise to Speewaa.

_I will find who has caused this, and try to destroy him. For anyone who would murder an innocent Matoran is evil._

_Evil._


End file.
